From International Application No. WO 93/18299, a fuel injector is described which has a valve seat element on which a guide element rests. This element possesses a central passage opening through which a valve needle can move axially. Outside of this central passage opening, a plurality of passage openings is produced in the guide element to permit flow through the element which are circular and uniformly arranged in the guide element in a circular shape. At the upstream face of the guide element, a thin filter element is formed as an additional component. In a center, ring-shaped filter zone, countless circular filter openings are provided. The filter element completely covers the guide element with its passage holes. Each of these two components fulfills a function which plays no role in the other component in each instance.